Intimate Partner Violence and Childhood Vaccination: Evidence from the Dominican Republic

Annie Dude, University of Chicago
Rebekah A. Burroway, Duke University

Intimate partner violence is a prevalent health problem in the Dominican Republic, with 22% of women aged 15 – 44 in a nationwide survey reporting that they had experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetimes. Childhood mortality is also high in the Dominican Republic. Previous studies indicate that partner violence among mothers is often associated with increased risk of childhood mortality. Reduced vaccination rates among the children of women who are victims of intimate partner violence might be one explanation for these increased childhood mortality rates. Data from the 2007 Dominican Republic Demographic and Health Survey indicates a bivariate association between a mother’s experience of physical intimate partner violence and a reduced number of vaccines among her children currently aged 1 – 4. These children receive 10.0 vaccines of a possible 11, compared to 10.3 of 11 for children whose mothers have not experienced physical violence [p = 0.03].